Wearable article having artwork

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a wearable article  20  continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising a main body  38  and a ring-like elastic belt  40  comprising an outer cover layer  42  at the most garment-facing side and a backsheet  60  attached to the skin-facing surface of the outer cover layer  42 ; wherein the longitudinal length of the outer cover layer  42  is longer than the longitudinal length of the crotch panel  56  and shorter than the longitudinal length of the backsheet  60 ; and further comprising: a front belt artwork region  40 F disposed on the front waist panel  52  where the outer cover layer  42  is absent; and a back belt artwork region  40 B disposed on the back waist panel  54  where the outer cover layer  42  is absent; and wherein one or both of the front belt artwork region  40 F and the back belt artwork region  40 B comprises a belt artwork  40 A; a transitional region  34 F,  34 B disposed on the front waist panel  52  and the back waist panel  54  where the outer cover layer  42  exists; and a crotch artwork region  30  disposed on the crotch panel  56  comprising a crotch artwork  40 A; wherein at least some of the belt artwork  30 A and some of the crotch artwork  40 A are printed on the backsheet  60 , wherein when the opacity of the outer cover layer is OC and the opacity of one or both of the front belt and the back belt  84, 86  comprising the belt artwork is OB, respectively, the difference between OC and OB is less than about 20%.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation, under 35 USC 120, of Application No.CN2016/078775, filed on Apr. 8, 2016, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wearable articles having artworks onboth the belt artwork region and the crotch artwork region.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles suchas diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudates. Pull-onabsorbent articles, or pant-type absorbent articles, are those which aredonned by inserting the wearer's legs into the leg openings and slidingthe article up into position about the lower torso. Pant-type absorbentarticles have become popular for use on children who are able to walkand often who are toilet training, as well as for younger children whobecome more active in movement such that application of taped-typeabsorbent articles tends to be more difficult. Absorbent articles areprovided with printed artwork to make the article attractive to thewearer and/or the caregiver. Particularly for children, attractiveartwork on the article may provide a positive developmental effect.Attractive artwork may be those that connote an undergarment look, arein clear color and shape, or showing characters and objects innoticeable size. Further, attractive artwork may connote high quality toeither the wearer or caregiver.

Belt-type pants having a main body to cover the crotch region of thewearer and a separate elastic belt defining the waist opening and legopening are known in the art, such as described in PCT Publication WO2008/081930A. Such belt-type pants may be advantageous in that they mayhave better breathability by having less layers of material in certainareas of the articles, and that they may be manufactured economically.On the other hand, due to the structural difference between the mainbody, the elastic belt, and the transitional region of the main body andthe elastic belt, belt-type pants may be disadvantageous in providingprinted artwork that provides an integral appearance.

Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a wearable article withattractive artwork. There is also a need for providing such a wearablearticle without compromise to the performance as an absorbent article,such as fit, wearability, comfort during wear, prevention of sagging,and prevention of leakage. There is further a need for providing such awearable article in an economical manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wearable article 20 continuous ina longitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising a mainbody 38 and a ring-like elastic belt 40 comprising a front belt 84 and aback belt 86;

the center of the front belt 84 is joined to a front waist panel 52 ofthe main body 38, the center of the back belt 86 is joined to a backwaist panel 54 of the main body 38, the front and back belt each 84, 86having a left side panel and a right side panel 82 where the main body38 does not overlap, and the transverse edges 50 of the front belt andthe back belt 84, 86 are joined by a seam 32 to form a waist opening andtwo leg openings; wherein the front belt and back belt 84, 86 arediscontinuous of each other;

the main body 38 having a crotch panel 56 between the front waist panel52 and the back waist panel 54, the main body 38 comprising an outercover layer 42 at the most garment facing side and a backsheet 60attached to the body facing surface of the outer cover layer 42; whereinthe longitudinal length of the outer cover layer 42 is longer than thelongitudinal length of the crotch panel 56 and shorter than thelongitudinal length of the backsheet 60;

the wearable article 20 further comprising:

a front belt artwork region 40F disposed on the front waist panel 52where the outer cover layer 42 is absent; and a back belt artwork region40B disposed on the back waist panel 54 where the outer cover layer 42is absent; and wherein one or both of the front belt artwork region 40Fand the back belt artwork region 40B comprises a belt artwork 40A;

a transitional region 34F, 34B disposed on the front waist panel 52 andthe back waist panel 54 where the outer cover layer 42 is present; and

a crotch artwork region 30 disposed on the crotch panel 56 comprising acrotch artwork 40A.

In one aspect of the present invention, at least some of the beltartwork 30A and some of the crotch artwork 40A are printed on thebacksheet 60, wherein when the opacity of the outer cover layer is OCand the opacity of one or both of the front belt and the back belt 84,86 comprising the belt artwork is OB, respectively, the differencebetween OC and OB is less than about 20%.

In one aspect of the present invention, the belt artwork 40A and thecrotch artwork 30A are printed on the backsheet 60, and the belt artwork40A observed directly on the backsheet 60 is provided in reducedbrightness and increased contrast compared to the crotch artwork 30A;such that the intensity of the belt artwork 40A and the crotch artwork30A appear to be substantially similar when observed as an article fromthe garment facing side.

In one aspect of the present invention, front belt and the back belt 84,86 each comprise an inner sheet 94 and an outer sheet 92; wherein thebelt artwork 40A is printed on the garment facing surface of the innersheet 94 or the body facing surface of the outer sheet 92, and thecrotch artwork 30A is printed on the backsheet 60.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as formingthe present invention, it is believed that the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description which is taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings and which like designations are used todesignate substantially identical elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a wearable article ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a wearable articleof the present invention with the seams unjoined and in a flatuncontracted condition showing the garment facing surface.

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of FIG. 2 taken along the longitudinalcenter line.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of a wearable article of the prior art.

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic plan view of one embodiment of a wearablearticle of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial schematic plan view of a wearable article.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the following terms shall have the meaning specifiedthereafter:

“Wearable article” refers to articles of wear which may be in the formof pants, taped diapers, incontinent briefs, feminine hygiene garments,and the like. The “wearable article” may be so configured to also absorband contain various exudates such as urine, feces, and menses dischargedfrom the body. The “wearable article” may serve as an outer coveradaptable to be joined with a separable disposable absorbent insert forproviding absorbent and containment function, such as those disclosed inPCT publication WO 2011/087503A.

“Pant” refers to disposable absorbent articles having a pre-formed waistand leg openings. A pant may be donned by inserting a wearer's legs intothe leg openings and sliding the pant into position about the wearer'slower torso. Pants are also commonly referred to as “closed diapers”,“prefastened diapers”, “pull-on diapers”, “training pants” and“diaper-pants”.

“Longitudinal” refers to a direction running substantially perpendicularfrom a waist edge to an opposing waist edge of the article and generallyparallel to the maximum linear dimension of the article.

“Transverse” refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection.

“Body-facing” and “garment-facing” refer respectively to the relativelocation of an element or a surface of an element or group of elements.“Body-facing” implies the element or surface is nearer to the wearerduring wear than some other element or surface. “Garment-facing” impliesthe element or surface is more remote from the wearer during wear thansome other element or surface (i.e., element or surface is proximate tothe wearer's garments that may be worn over the disposable absorbentarticle).

“Disposed” refers to an element being located in a particular place orposition.

“Joined” refers to configurations whereby an element is directly securedto another element by affixing the element directly to the other elementand to configurations whereby an element is indirectly secured toanother element by affixing the element to intermediate member(s) whichin turn are affixed to the other element.

“Film” refers to a sheet-like material wherein the length and width ofthe material far exceed the thickness of the material. Typically, filmshave a thickness of about 0.5 mm or less.

“Water-permeable” and “water-impermeable” refer to the penetrability ofmaterials in the context of the intended usage of disposable absorbentarticles. Specifically, the term “water-permeable” refers to a layer ora layered structure having pores, openings, and/or interconnected voidspaces that permit liquid water, urine, or synthetic urine to passthrough its thickness in the absence of a forcing pressure. Conversely,the term “water-impermeable” refers to a layer or a layered structurethrough the thickness of which liquid water, urine, or synthetic urinecannot pass in the absence of a forcing pressure (aside from naturalforces such as gravity). A layer or a layered structure that iswater-impermeable according to this definition may be permeable to watervapor, i.e., may be “vapor-permeable”.

“Extendibility” and “extensible” mean that the width or length of thecomponent in a relaxed state can be extended or increased.

“Elasticated” and “elasticized” mean that a component comprises at leasta portion made of elastic material.

“Elongatable material”, “extensible material”, or “stretchable material”are used interchangeably and refer to a material that, upon applicationof a biasing force, can stretch to an elongated length of at least about110% of its relaxed, original length (i.e. can stretch to 10 percentmore than its original length), without rupture or breakage, and uponrelease of the applied force, shows little recovery, less than about 20%of its elongation without complete rupture or breakage as measured byEDANA method 20.2-89. In the event such an elongatable material recoversat least 40% of its elongation upon release of the applied force, theelongatable material will be considered to be “elastic” or“elastomeric.” For example, an elastic material that has an initiallength of 100 mm can extend at least to 150 mm, and upon removal of theforce retracts to a length of at least 130 mm (i.e., exhibiting a 40%recovery). In the event the material recovers less than 40% of itselongation upon release of the applied force, the elongatable materialwill be considered to be “substantially non-elastic” or “substantiallynon-elastomeric”. For example, an elongatable material that has aninitial length of 100 mm can extend at least to 150 mm, and upon removalof the force retracts to a length of at least 145 mm (i.e., exhibiting a10% recovery).

“Artwork” refers to a visual presentation to the naked eye, which isprovided by printing or otherwise, and having a color. Printing includesvarious methods and apparatus well known to those skilled in the artsuch as lithographic, screen printing, flexographic, and gravure ink jetprinting techniques.

“Color” or “Colored” as referred to herein includes any primary colorexcept color white, i.e., black, red, blue, violet, orange, yellow,green, and indigo as well as any declination thereof or mixture thereof.The color white is defined as those colors having an L* value of atleast 94, an a* value equal to 0±2, and a b* value equal to 0±2according to the “Measurement of Color” described below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the wearable article 20of the present invention and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the samearticle with the seams unjoined and in its flat uncontracted conditionshowing the garment-facing surface. The wearable article 20 has alongitudinal centerline L1 which also serves as the longitudinal axis,and a transverse centerline T1 which also serves as the transverse axis.The wearable article 20 has a body facing surface, a garment facingsurface, a front region 26, a back region 28, a crotch (artwork) region30, and seams 32 which join the front region 26 and the back region 28to form two leg openings and a waist opening. The wearable article 20comprises a main body 38 to cover the crotch region of the wearer, afront belt 84 and a back belt 86 (hereinafter may be referred to as“front and back belts”), the front and back belts 84, 86 forming aring-like elastic belt 40 (hereinafter may be referred to as “waistbelt”) extending transversely defining the waist opening. The front andback belts 84, 86 and the main body 38 jointly define the leg openings.

Referring to FIG. 3, the main body 38 comprises a backsheet 60 and outercover layer 42 for covering the garment-facing side of the backsheet 60.The backsheet 60 may be a water impermeable film. The outer cover layer42 may be a nonwoven sheet. The main body 38 may contain an absorbentcore 62 for absorbing and containing body exudates disposed on the mainbody 38. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the main body 38 has agenerally rectangular shape, left and right longitudinally extendingside edges 48 (hereinafter may be referred to as “side edge”) and frontand back transversely extending end edges 50 (hereinafter may bereferred to as “end edge”). The main body 38 also has a front waistpanel 52 positioned in the front region 26 of the wearable article 20, aback waist panel 54 positioned in the back region 28, and a crotch panel56 between the front and back waist panels 52, 54 in the crotch region30. The center of the front belt 84 is joined to a front waist panel 52of the main body 38, the center of the back belt 86 is joined to a backwaist panel 54 of the main body 38, the front and back belts 84, 86 eachhaving a left side panel and a right side panel 82 where the main body38 does not overlap. The main body has a crotch panel 56 positionedbetween the front waist panel 52 and the back waist panel 54. The frontand back belt are discontinuous of each other. Referring to FIGS. 1 and2, the ring-like belt 40 formed by the front belt 84 and back belt 86acts to dynamically create fitment forces and to distribute the forcesdynamically generated during wear. Herein, the term “proximal” is usedto indicate the position of a “proximal” portion being closer relativeto the longitudinal center of the article, also closer relative to thecrotch panel 56 of the main body 38 than the position of a “distal”portion. Therefore, the proximal edge 90 is located closer than thedistal edge 88 relative to the crotch panel 56 of the main body 38. Thefront and back belts 84, 86 may be joined with each other only at theside edges 89 at the seams 32 to form a wearable article having a waistopening and two leg openings. Each leg opening may be provided withelasticity around the perimeter of the leg opening by the combination ofelasticity from the front belt 84, the back belt 86, and any from themain body 38. The front leg opening region 120 is disposed adjacent theleg opening along the proximal edge 90 of the left and right side panels82 of the front belt 84.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the front and back belts 84, 86 arediscontinuous with one another in the crotch region 30, and thereforethe outer cover layer 42 is the garment-facing surface in the crotchregion 30. The outer cover layer 42 may extend only partly in thelongitudinal direction of the front waist panel 52 and the back waistpanel 54 to leave the distal parts of the front waist panel 52 and theback waist panel 54 free of the outer cover layer 42. Namely, thelongitudinal length of the outer cover layer 42 may be longer than thelongitudinal length of the crotch panel 56 and shorter than thelongitudinal length of the backsheet 60. By such configuration, thedistal parts of the front waist panel 52 and the back waist panel 54 aredevoid of the outer cover layer 42, providing better breathability tothe overall article, compared to the configuration of FIG. 4. Further,the configuration of FIG. 3, compared to that of FIG. 4, may providecost saving. Accordingly, looking at the layers of elements between thegarment facing surface and the backsheet of the main body 38 of FIG. 3,there are 5 regions from the front distal side to the back distalside; 1) a front belt artwork region 40F disposed on the front waistpanel 52 where the outer cover layer 42 is absent; 2) a fronttransitional region 34F disposed on the front waist panel 52 where theouter cover layer 42 is present; 3) a crotch artwork region 30 disposedon the crotch panel 56; 4) a back transitional region 34B disposed onthe back waist panel 54 where the outer cover layer 42 is present; and5) a back belt artwork region 40B disposed on the back waist panel 54where the outer cover layer 42 is absent. Hereinafter, the fronttransitional region 34F and the back transitional region 34B may becollectively referred to as the “transitional region 34F, 34B”. Thecrotch artwork region 30 is made of only the outer cover layer 42 andthe belt artwork regions 40F, 40B are made of the layers for making theelastic belt 40, while the transitional region 34F, 34B is made of boththe outer cover layer 42 and layers making the elastic belt 40.

The transverse width of the backsheet 60 and the outer cover layer 42may be the same, or may be varied (not shown). For example, thebacksheet 60 may have a shorter transverse width compared to that of theouter cover layer 42. By such configuration, the longitudinal side edges48 of the crotch panel 56, which make part of the leg openings, may havebetter breathability. Further, such configuration may provide costsaving.

The front belt 84 and back belt 86 may each comprise an inner sheet 94,an outer sheet 92, (hereinafter also collectively “belt sheets”) andconfigured to impart elasticity to the belt 40. Each of the front andback belts 84, 86 may be made of a single elastic panel, a plurality ofelastic panels, or as a laminate having a plurality of belt elasticbodies 96 sandwiched between the inner and outer sheets 94, 92. The beltelastic bodies 96 may extend in the transverse direction to provide aring like elastic belt 40 when the front belt 84 and the back belt 86are joined. At least some of the elastic bodies 96 extend in thetransverse direction substantially parallel to each other. All of theelastic bodies 96 may extend in the transverse direction substantiallyparallel to each other. Such an article may be economically made.

The front and back belt 84, 86 may be made of an elastic substrate, orby less than or more than 2 layers. Further, the front belt 84 and theback belt 86 may be made of different materials and/or layers. When thefront belt 84 and the back belt 86 are made of the same inner sheet 94,the same outer sheet 92 and plurality of elastic bodies 96 respectively,the elastic bodies 96 may be disposed in the same or different denier,interval, and force between the front and back, as well as in differentlongitudinal positions of the belt.

The front and/or back belt 84, 86 may be treated such that certain ofthe area overlapping the front and/or back waist panel 52, 54 of themain body 38 are removed of elasticity. Removal of elasticity from thearea where the belt artwork 40A is displayed may help the visibility ofthe belt artwork 40A. Further, removal of elasticity from certain areaof the front and/or back waist panel 52, 54 may be advantageous when themain body 38 comprises an absorbent core 62, in that elasticity in thefront and/or back area may cause bunching of the absorbent core 62 andinterfere with close fit of the main body 38 to the wearer. In oneembodiment, at least a portion of, or at least 10% of, or at least 20%of, or at least 30% of, the elasticity of; at least one of, or at leasthalf of, or at least two thirds of, the elastic bodies are removed inthe region overlapping with the front and back waist panels 52, 54 ofthe main body 38. In one embodiment, the area of all of the elastics 96overlapping with the belt artwork 40A may be removed of its elasticity.

Referring to FIG. 2, the transverse width LW of the back belt 86 in theuncontracted condition may be the same as the transverse width of thefront belt 84 of the same condition. Such an article may be economicallymade.

The longitudinal length LB of the back belt 86 between the back distaledge 88 and the back proximal edge 90 along its entire width LW of theback belt 86 may be approximately the same as the longitudinal length LFof the front belt 84 between the front distal edge 88 and the frontproximal edge 90. In such configuration, the seams 32 close the frontand back belt 84, 86 side edges 89 of the same length for forming thearticle. Such an article may be economically made.

The back belt 86 may have a greater longitudinal length LB between theback distal edge 88 and the back proximal edge 90 along its entire widthLW of the back belt 86 in the transverse direction than the longitudinallength LF of the front belt 84 between the front distal edge 88 and thefront proximal edge 90 (FIGS. 1 and 2). In such configuration, when thewearable article is assembled to form the waist opening and the legopenings, the wearable article 20 is folded along the transversecenterline T1 such that the front distal edge 88 is aligned with theback distal edge 88. The front side edge 89 is also aligned with aportion of the back side edge 89. Then the front belt 84 and the backbelt 86 are joined at the front and back side edges 89 at the seams 32.The front and back proximal edges 90, however, may not be aligned to oneanother. The back proximal edge 90 may be disposed longitudinally closerthan the front proximal edge 90 relative to the transverse center lineT1 such that the proximal portion of the back side panel 82 extendstoward the crotch panel 56 of the main body 38 beyond the front proximaledge 90. The side edge of the proximal portion of the back side panel 82may not be joined to anywhere and free from attachment. Thus, theproximal portion of the back side panel 82 provides a buttock cover 95as in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the outer sheet 92 of the front or back belttowards the distal edge 88 may be longer than the size of the innersheet 94 in the longitudinal direction, and an end flap of the outersheet 92 may be folded over the distal end of the inner sheet 94 at thewaist opening to form the waist end region. The front and back belts 84,86 may be provided in low caliper non-woven material for sake ofbreathability and softness of the belt 40.

As explained above, looking at the layers of elements between thegarment facing surface and the backsheet of the main body 38, there are5 regions from the front distal side to the back distal side. When thefront and back belt 84, 86 are made of the same inner and outer sheets94, 92, there are still 3 regions having different layers of elements.For providing attractive printing for a wearable article in aneconomical manner, it is common practice to provide printing on thegarment facing side of the backsheet 60. Referring to FIG. 6, when suchprinting includes an artwork overlapping more than one region, such asthe bear of FIG. 6, the integrity of the artwork is compromised due tothe opacity provided by the different number of layers, therebyproviding a different appearance to the artwork when observed from thegarment facing surface. Such compromised appearance of artwork mayconnote low quality of the article. The compromised appearance ofartwork may be prevented in a number of ways.

The longitudinal length of the transitional region 34F, 34B may be madeas short as possible. The longitudinal length of the transitional region34F, 34B may be less than about 20 mm, or less than about 15 mm, or lessthan about 10 mm. By providing the transitional region 34F, 34B as shortas possible and avoiding displaying artwork in this region, thecompromised appearance may be avoided.

It is known that applying of adhesive for joining materials may changethe appearance of a material. Namely, adhesives tend to make thesubstrate to which it is applied more transparent. Adhesive for joiningthe outer cover layer 42 and the backsheet 60; may have particularimpact to artwork disposed on the crotch region 30. As such, theadhesive may at least be applied in the area where the artwork on thecrotch region 30 is present. Further, such adhesive may be applied onthe entire area of the transitional region 34F, 34B, or the entire arealeaving no more than up to 5 mm, in the longitudinal direction, from thedistal edge of the transitional region 34F, 34B. The distal edges of thetransitional region 34F, 34B matches the distal edges of the outer coverlayer 42. By having the adhesive applied on the transitional region 34F,34B, the opacity of the transitional region 34F, 34B may be decreased.This is particularly advantageous when there is artwork disposed in thetransitional region 34F, 34B, as this is the region wherein more layersare present and thus higher in opacity compared to the belt artworkregion 40F, 40B, or the crotch artwork region 30. Further, by having theadhesive applied on the transitional region 34F, 34B, wrinkles, foldovers, and other distortions of the outer cover layer 42 may beprevented, thus also preventing increase of opacity in the region.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the first present invention, the front and/orback artwork region 34F, 34B may comprise a belt artwork 40A, and thecrotch artwork region 30 may comprise a crotch artwork 30A; wherein atleast some of the belt artwork 40A and some of the crotch artwork 30Aare printed on the backsheet, wherein when the opacity of the outercover layer 42 is OC and the opacity of one or both of the front belt 84and the back belt 86 comprising the belt artwork, respectively, is OB,the difference between OC and OB is less than about 20%. The opacity ofa sheet material is measured according to the “Measurement of Opacity”described below. By providing OB and OC to have less than about 20%difference, the appearance of the belt artwork 40A and the crotchartwork 30A may be made less different to the observer, and thereforeprovide visual integrity to the overall artwork of the article. Thedifference between OC and OB may be less than about 20%, or less thanabout 15%, or less than about 10%. The value of OC may be from about 15%to about 70%, or from about 20% to about 50%. The value of OB may befrom about 15% to about 85%, or from about 20% to about 70%. The valuesOC and OB may be adjusted by selecting materials for making the beltsheets 92, 94 and the outer cover layer 42, as explained in detailbelow. All of the belt artwork 40A and the crotch artwork 30A may beprinted on the backsheet. The backsheet 60 may be provided with aholistic character as in FIG. 6, collectively by the crotch artwork 30A,artwork provided in the transitional region, and belt artwork 40A. Evenwhen such an artwork is provided, the wearable article 20 of the presentinvention may maintain visual integrity.

The transitional region 34F, 34B may be free of any artwork (not shown).Alternatively, the transitional region 34F, 34B may have artwork thatmatches with a transitional or discrete element of the artwork. Forexample, the neck of an animal, or a transversely extending bar may bedisposed on the transitional region 34F, 34B.

Examples of materials suitable for the outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94include nonwoven material of 5-50 g/m². Nonwoven polyolefins such aspolypropylene may be suitable for use. Examples of materials suitablefor the outer cover layer 42 include nonwoven material of 5-50 g/m².Patterned, quilted, or embossed material may be useful for connotingsoftness or high quality of the article.

The outer cover layer 42 may be provided opaque by adding awhite-tinting/opacifying agent to the polymer resin that is spun to makethe nonwoven material. While a variety of whitening/opacifying agentsmay suffice, it is believed that titanium dioxide (TiO₂) may beparticularly effective because of its brightness and relatively highrefractive index. It is believed that addition of TiO₂ to the polymer(s)from which the fibers are to be formed, typically in an amount up to5.0% by weight of the nonwoven, may be effective to achieve the desiredresults. It is believed that the increased opacity provided bywhitening/opacifying agents helps to produce a visually distinctive,soft appearance of the nonwoven. It also may be desired in someapplications that a coloring or tinting agent be added to one or morethe polymer resin(s) from which the nonwoven fibers will be spun.

Opacity can also be enhanced by using fiber having cross-sectionalshapes other than round and solid (non-hollow) geometries, namelytrilobal or multilobal cross-sections, or hollow configurations orcombinations thereof. Those non-circular cross-sectional shapes can alsoprovide advantages in terms of loft and compression resilience.

Spunbonding includes the step of calender-bonding a batt of spunlaidfibers, to consolidate them and bond them together to some extent tocreate the web as a fabric-like structure and enhance mechanicalproperties e.g., tensile strength, which may be desirable so thematerial can sufficiently maintain structural integrity and dimensionalstability in subsequent manufacturing processes, and in the finalproduct in use. Calender-bonding may be accomplished by passing the battthrough the nip between a pair of rotating calender rollers, therebycompressing and consolidating the fibers to form a nonwoven web. One orboth of the rollers may be heated, so as to promote heating, plasticdeformation, intermeshing and/or thermal bonding/fusion betweensuperimposed fibers compressed at the nip. The rollers may form operablecomponents of a bonding mechanism in which they are urged together by acontrollable amount of force, so as to exert the desired compressingforce/pressure at the nip. In some processes an ultrasonic energy sourcemay be included in the bonding mechanism so as to transmit ultrasonicvibration to the fibers, again, to generate heat energy within them andenhance bonding.

One or both of the rollers may have their circumferential surfacesmachined, etched, engraved or otherwise formed to have thereon a bondingpattern of bonding protrusions and recessed areas, so that bondingpressure exerted on the batt at the nip is concentrated at the bondingsurfaces of the bonding protrusions, and is reduced or substantiallyeliminated at the recessed areas. The bonding surfaces have bondingsurface shapes. As a result, an impressed pattern of bonds betweenfibers forming the web, having bond impressions and bond shapescorresponding to the pattern and bonding surface shapes of the bondingprotrusions on the roller, is formed on the nonwoven web. One roller mayhave a smooth, unpatterned cylindrical surface so as to constitute ananvil roller, and the other roller may be formed with a pattern asdescribed, to constitute a bonding pattern roller; this combination ofrollers will impart a pattern on the web reflecting the pattern on thebonding pattern roller. In some examples both rollers may be formed withpatterns, and in particular examples, differing patterns that work incombination to impress a combination pattern on the web such asdescribed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,764.

A repeating pattern of bonding protrusions and recessed areas such asS-shapes, diamond shapes, I-shapes, and V-shapes may be formed onto abonding roller. The bonding shapes of the bonding protrusions impresslike-shaped bond impressions on the web in the calendering process.Repeating patterns of S-shapes and I-shapes may be advantageous inproviding visual integrity with the gathers of the front and back belts84, 86.

The bonding protrusions on a roller will have a height, which may beexpressed as a difference between the radius of the roller at theoutermost (bonding) surfaces of the bonding protrusions, and the radiusof the roller at the recessed areas. The height may be adjusted with theobjective of minimizing the amount of material that must be removed fromthe roller surface by machining or etching to create the desired shapesand pattern, while still providing for sufficient clearance between theroller bearing the bonding protrusions and the opposing roller, at therecessed areas, to accommodate passage of the batt through the nip inareas of the batt not to be bonded (i.e., at the recessed areas),without substantially compressing it, because maximum loft/caliper isthe objective. For webs of the type and basis weight contemplatedherein, a bonding protrusion height between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm may bedesired, or a bonding protrusion height between 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm, oreven a bonding protrusion height between 0.6 mm and 0.7 mm. The bondingsurfaces of the bonding protrusions may have an average area between 0.3mm² and 10 mm². The bonding protrusions typically have sides with anangled slope when viewed in cross section through the height thereof.

Nonwoven webs of the type contemplated herein may be calender-bonded atline speed greater than 300 m/min., or 600 m/min., or even 800 m/min.,or more, depending upon nonwoven web composition, basis weight, bondingpattern, and equipment and process variables selected. It will beappreciated that at such speeds, the batt and the surfaces of rollerswill entrain surrounding air and move it toward the nip. Surfacefeatures of a bonding roller as described above, will enhance thiseffect. It is believed that, as entrained air is carried toward the nip,the decreasing space between the rollers as the nip is approachedcreates a zone of relatively higher, and increasing, air pressure infront of the nip. A portion of the entrained air under such higherpressure will be urged into and further compressed in the nip, withinthe recessed areas of the bonding pattern on the roller, and within theinterstices of the fibers passing through the nip. It is believed that,as nonwoven web exits the nip, compressed air entrained within thefibers and passing through the nip therewith encounters a zone ofrelatively lower pressure on the exit side, and accelerates away fromthe nip in all unobstructed directions as a result. Thus, it is believedthat substantial air entrainment, air compression and complex air flowsof relatively high velocity occur within and about the batt and web as aresult of movement of the batt and rotation of the calender rollers inthe calender-bonding process.

It is believed that surface features of a bonding roller including thebonding protrusions affect these air flows. Particularly at the nip, theprofiles of bonding protrusions present obstructions to airflow, whilethe recessed areas between the bonding protrusions present passageways.Thus, it is believed that for certain configurations, shapes, andpositions of bonding protrusions, as will be reflected in the bondimpressions created in the web, rotational orientation(s) and repeatingpatterns of the bonding shapes can be selected and formed to have abeneficial effect on these air flows. It is believed, further, thatpatterns of bonding protrusions having bonding surface shapes withcertain features, reflected in the bonding surfaces and the crosssections of the protrusions along planes substantially parallel with thebonding surfaces, rotational orientations relative the planeapproximated by the web surface, and spacing, may be employed to channelthese air flows in a way that causes them to reposition the fibersduring the calender bonding process, such as by teasing or fluffing thefibers, thus providing an enhanced calender-bonded nonwoven web havinggreater loft/caliper than a similar nonwoven web having otherconsolidated bond shapes and patterns, all other variables being thesame. Other suitable materials for the outer cover layer 42 of thepresent invention are disclosed in PCT publication WO 2014/047160,herein incorporated by reference.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the second present invention, the belt artwork40A and the crotch artwork 30A are provided on the backsheet 60, and thebelt artwork 40A observed directly on the backsheet 60 is provided inreduced brightness and increased contrast compared to the crotch artwork30A; such that the intensity of the belt artwork 40A and the crotchartwork 30A appear to be substantially similar when observed as anarticle from the garment facing side. By providing the artwork inreduced brightness and increased contrast, the artwork is lessinfluenced by opaqueness provided by the overlaying layers of material.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the third present invention, the front belt 84and the back belt 86 each comprise an inner sheet 94 and an outer sheet92 wherein the belt artwork 40A is printed on the garment facing surfaceof the inner sheet 94 or the body facing surface of the outer sheet 92,and the crotch artwork 30A is printed on the backsheet 60. By printingthe artwork in these specific layers, the number of layers between thegarment facing surface and the printing is made equal, thus theappearance difference may be alleviated. The opacity difference betweenthe outer sheet 92 and the outer cover layer 42 may be less than about20%, or less than about 15%, or less than about 10%. The outer sheet 92and the outer cover layer 42 may be the same material. The belt artwork40A may be printed directly on the inner sheet 94 or the outer sheet 92by ink, or by disposing a colored web of a predetermined shape.

Measurement of Opacity

The opacity of a material, or material combined, is the degree to whichlight is blocked by that material. A higher opacity value indicates ahigher degree of light block by the material. Opacity may be measuredusing a 0° illumination/45° detection, circumferential optical geometry,spectrophotometer with a computer interface such as the HunterLabLabScan XE running Universal Software (available from Hunter AssociatesLaboratory Inc., Reston, Va.). Instrument calibration and measurementsare made using the standard white and black calibration plates providedby the vendor. All testing is performed in a room maintained at about23±2° C. and about 50±5% relative humidity.

The spectrophotometer is configured for the XYZ color scale, D65illuminant, 10° standard observer, with UV filter set to nominal. Theinstrument is standardized according to the manufacturer's proceduresusing the 44.45 mm (1.750 inch) area view. After calibration, thesoftware is set to the Y opacity procedure which prompts the operator tocover the sample with either the white or black calibration tile duringthe measurement.

To obtain a specimen, lay the sample flat on a bench, body facingsurface downward, and 101.6 mm by 101.6 mm portions of sample are cutusing scissor for analysis. When the sample is a combined material, theyare overlayed to obtain a specimen. Samples are pre-conditioned at 23°C.±2° C.° and 50%±5% relative humidity for two hours prior to testing.

Place specimen over the measurement port. The specimen should completelycover the port with the surface corresponding to the garment-facingsurface of the article directed toward the port. Cover the specimen withthe white standard plate. Take a reading, then remove the white tile andreplace it with the black standard tile without moving the specimen.Obtain a second reading, and calculate the opacity as follows:

Opacity=(Y value_((black backing)) /Y value_((white backing)))×100

A total of three identical material, or materials combined, are analyzedand their opacity results recorded. Calculate and report the averageopacity to the nearest 0.1%.

Measurement of Color

The color of the artwork can be measured using the CIE L* a* b* colorsystem (CIELAB). The L*, a*, and b* values are measured from thegarment-facing surface of the wearable article 20. As an example, a flatbed scanner capable of scanning a minimum of 24 bit color at 1200 dpiand has manual control of color management (a suitable scanner is anEpson Perfection V750 Pro from Epson America Inc., Long Beach Calif.,US, or the like) is used to acquire images. The scanner is calibratedagainst a color reflection target compliant to ANSI method IT8.7/2-1993using color management software (a suitable package is MonacoEZColoravailable from X-Rite Grand Rapids, Mich., US, or the like) to constructa scanner profile. The resulting calibrated scanner profile is openedwithin an imaging program that supports sampling in CIE L* a* b* (asuitable program is Photoshop S4 available from Adobe Systems Inc., SanJose, Calif., US, or the like) to measure artwork.

Turn on the scanner for 30 minutes prior to calibration. Place the IT8target face down onto the scanner glass and close the scanner lid. Openthe MonacoEZColor software and select acquire image using the Twainsoftware included with the scanner. Within the Twain software deselectthe unsharp mask setting and any automatic color correction or colormanagement options that may be included in the software. If theautomatic color management cannot be disabled, the scanner is notappropriate for this application. Acquire a preview scan at 200 dpi and24 bit color. Insure that the scanned image is straight and that thegarment-facing surface is facing side-up. Crop the image to the edge ofthe target, excluding all white space around the target, and acquire thefinal image. The MonacoEZColor software uses this image to compare withincluded reference files to create and export a calibrated color profilecompatible with Photoshop. After the profile is created the scanresolution (dpi) can be changed, but all other settings must be keptconstant while imaging samples.

Identify an area in the garment-facing surface where the artwork ofinterest is perceived. For convenience of handing, the sample size maybe a 75 mm by 75 mm piece, however, as will be appreciated by the personskilled in the art, smaller samples sizes can be used. Keep all layersintact and place all layers on the scanner flat etc. Open the scannerlid and place the specimen onto the scanner glass with thegarment-facing surface facing the glass. Cover the specimen with thewhite background (in this test method white is defined as having L*>94,−2<a*<2, and −2<b*<2) and close the lid. Acquire and import a scan ofthe specimen into Photoshop at 600 dpi and 24 bit color. Assign thecalibrated scanner profile to the image and change the mode to Lab Color(“Lab Color” in Photoshop corresponds to the CIE L* a* b* standard).Select the “eyedropper” color selection tool. Set the sampling size ofthe tool to include as many pixels as possible within an artwork withoutincluding pixels from adjacent non-colored areas. Using the eyedroppertool, measure and record L* a* b* values in the artwork in the nonwovenimage.

EXAMPLES Example 1

Samples A-E having the structure of the belt-type wearable article ofFIGS. 2-3, and Samples F-J having the structure of the belt-typewearable article of FIG. 4 are assembled. Samples A-E have atransitional region having a longitudinal length of 10 mm. All samplesare provided with the same artwork on the same position of the backsheet60 having the crotch artwork 30A and belt artwork 40A similar to that ofFIG. 5. All Samples have materials for the outer cover layer 42, innersheet 94, and outer sheet 92, of the same composition, respectively, butin various basis weight (g/m²) according to the Table below.

The OC and OB for each Sample is measured according to the “Measurementof Opacity” herein. The visual integrity of the holistic artworkincluding the crotch artwork 30A and belt artwork 40A of each Sample isobserved by a trained expert panel and evaluated. The results of opacityand the evaluation of “visual integrity” are provided in the Tablebelow.

outer cover outer/inner layer OC belt sheet OB-OC Visual Sample (g/m²)(%) (g/m²) OB (%) (%) integrity A 17 20.1 17/10 37.4 17.3 Good B 17 20.117/17 36.4 16.3 Good C 25 45.4 17/10 37.4 −8.0 Very Good D 25 45.4 17/1736.4 −9.1 Very Good E 25 45.4 25/25 70.2 24.8 Bad F 17 20.1 17/1050.0(*) 29.9 Bad G 17 20.1 17/17 49.2(*) 29.1 Bad H 25 45.4 17/1065.9(*) 20.4 Fair J 25 45.4 17/17 65.3(*) 19.8 Fair (*)For Samples F-J,this value is the opacity provided by the total of the outer cover layer42 and elastic belt 40 where the belt artwork is displayed.

Inventive Samples A-D of the present invention having an opacitydifference of less than 20% provided improved visual integrity of theoverall artwork compared to Comparative Samples E-J having an opacitydifference of more than about 20%. Inventive Samples A-D are expected tohave higher quality perception compared to Comparative Samples E-J.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm.”

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation ofany document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect toany invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in anycombination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests ordiscloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wearable article, comprising: a main body and aring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt and a back belt; a centerof the front belt is joined to a front waist panel of the main body, acenter of the back belt is joined to a back waist panel of the mainbody, the front and back belt each having a left side panel and a rightside panel where the main body does not overlap, and the transverseedges of the front belt and the back belt are joined forming a firstseam and a second seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings;wherein the front belt and back belt are discontinuous of each other;the main body having a crotch panel between the front waist panel andthe back waist panel, the main body comprising an outer cover layer at amost garment facing side and a backsheet attached to a body facingsurface of the outer cover layer; wherein a longitudinal length of theouter cover layer is longer than a longitudinal length of the crotchpanel and shorter than a longitudinal length of the backsheet; a frontbelt artwork region disposed on the front waist panel where the outercover layer is absent; and a back belt artwork region disposed on theback waist panel where the outer cover layer is absent; and wherein oneor both of the front belt artwork region and the back belt artworkregion comprises a belt artwork; a transitional region disposed on thefront waist panel and the back waist panel where the outer cover layeris present; and a crotch artwork region disposed on the crotch panelcomprising a crotch artwork; wherein at least a portion of the beltartwork and at least a portion of the crotch artwork are printed on thebacksheet, wherein when an opacity of the outer cover layer is OC and anopacity of one or both of the front belt and the back belt comprisingthe belt artwork is OB, respectively; wherein the difference between OCand OB is less than about 20%.
 2. The article according to claim 1wherein OC is from about 15% to about 70%.
 3. The article according toclaim 1 wherein OB is from about 5% to about 85%.
 4. The articleaccording to claim 1 wherein an entirety of the belt artwork and thecrotch artwork are printed on the backsheet.
 5. The article according toclaim 1 wherein the transitional region is free of an artwork.
 6. Thearticle according to claim 1 wherein the transitional region comprises atransitional artwork.
 7. The article according to claim 1 wherein alongitudinal length of the transitional region is less than about 10 mm.8. The article according to claim 1 wherein the outer cover layer andthe backsheet are joined by an adhesive, wherein the adhesive is atleast applied in the area where the crotch artwork is disposed.
 9. Thearticle according to claim 8 wherein the adhesive is disposed in anentire area of the transitional region leaving no more than up to about5 mm, in a longitudinal direction, from a distal edge of thetransitional region.
 10. The article according to claim 1 wherein thebelt artwork is provided in both the front waist panel and the backwaist panel, wherein the front belt and the back belt each comprise aninner sheet and an outer sheet, and wherein the front belt and the backbelt are made of the same inner sheet material and the same outer sheetmaterial.
 11. The article according to claim 1 wherein the backsheet hasa shorter transverse width than that of the outer cover layer.
 12. Awearable article, comprising: a main body and a ring-like elastic beltcomprising a front belt and a back belt; a center of the front belt isjoined to a front waist panel of the main body, a center of the backbelt is joined to a back waist panel of the main body, the front andback belt each having a left side panel and a right side panel where themain body does not overlap, and the transverse edges of the front beltand the back belt are joined forming a first seam and a second seam toform a waist opening and two leg openings; wherein the front belt andback belt are discontinuous of each other; the main body having a crotchpanel between the front waist panel and the back waist panel, the mainbody comprising an outer cover layer at a most garment facing side and abacksheet attached to a body facing surface of the outer cover layer;wherein a longitudinal length of the outer cover layer is longer than alongitudinal length of the crotch panel and shorter than a longitudinallength of the backsheet; a front belt artwork region disposed on thefront waist panel where the outer cover layer is absent; and a back beltartwork region disposed on the back waist panel where the outer coverlayer is absent; and wherein one or both of the front belt artworkregion and the back belt artwork region comprises a belt artwork; atransitional region disposed at the front waist panel and the back waistpanel where the outer cover layer is present; and a crotch artworkregion disposed on the crotch panel comprising a crotch artwork; whereinthe belt artwork and the crotch artwork are printed on the backsheet,and the belt artwork observed directly on the backsheet is provided withreduced brightness and increased contrast compared to the crotchartwork, such that the intensity of the belt artwork and the crotchartwork appear to be substantially similar when observed as an articlefrom a garment facing side.
 13. The article according to claim 12wherein an entire portion of the belt artwork and the crotch artwork areprinted on the backsheet.
 14. The article according to claim 12 whereinthe transitional region is free of an artwork. A wearable article,comprising: a main body and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a frontbelt and a back belt; a center of the front belt is joined to a frontwaist panel of the main body, a center of the back belt is joined to aback waist panel of the main body, the front and back belt each having aleft side panel and a right side panel where the main body does notoverlap, and the transverse edges of the front belt and the back beltare joined forming a first seam and a second seam to form a waistopening and two leg openings; wherein the front belt and back belt arediscontinuous of each other; the main body having a crotch panel betweenthe front waist panel and the back waist panel, the main body comprisingan outer cover layer at a most garment facing side and a backsheetattached to a body facing surface of the outer cover layer; wherein alongitudinal length of the outer cover layer is longer than alongitudinal length of the crotch panel and shorter than a longitudinallength of the backsheet; a front belt artwork region disposed on thefront waist panel where the outer cover layer is absent; and a back beltartwork region disposed on the back waist panel where the outer coverlayer is absent; and wherein one or both of the front belt artworkregion and the back belt artwork region comprises a belt artwork; atransitional region disposed at the front waist panel and the back waistpanel where the outer cover layer is present; and a crotch artworkregion disposed on the crotch panel comprising a crotch artwork; whereinthe front belt and the back belt each comprise an inner sheet and anouter sheet; wherein the belt artwork is printed on a garment facingsurface of the inner sheet or a body facing surface of the outer sheet,and the crotch artwork is printed on the backsheet.
 16. The articleaccording to claim 15 wherein an opacity difference between the outersheet and the outer cover layer is less than 20%.
 17. The articleaccording to claim 16 wherein the outer sheet and the outer cover layeris the same material.
 18. The article according to claim 15 wherein thetransitional region comprises a transitional artwork.
 19. The articleaccording to claim 15 wherein a longitudinal length of the transitionalregion is less than about 10 mm.
 20. The article according to claim 15wherein the backsheet has a shorter transverse width than that of theouter cover layer.